Scheduling and Presenting IPG Ads in Conjunction with Programming Ads in a Television Environment

ABSTRACT

A method and system whereby conventional television advertisements (i.e., those delivered to viewers while they watch television programming) can be delivered in conjunction with and correlated with advertisements that are presented to viewers in the Interactive Program Guide (IPG). Moreover, the invention described herein provides for delivering highly targeted ads to viewers in both conventional programming avails and in the IPG, and for linking the targeted ads in these two media to provide for enhanced and highly effective advertising campaigns.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/643,596, filed Dec. 21, 2009, and entitled Scheduling and PresentingIPG Ads in Conjunction with Programming Ads in a Television Environment,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/749,255(now U.S. Pat. No. 7,653,923), filed Dec. 27, 2000, and entitledScheduling and Presenting IPG Ads in Conjunction with Programming Ads ina Television Environment, the entire disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/749,255 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/238,056 filed on Oct. 5, 2000.

This application is related to the following U.S. application Ser. Nos.09/635,252 filed on Aug. 9, 2000 (now abandoned), entitled SubscriberCharacterization Based Electronic Program Guide Data; 09/635,253 (nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,714,917), filed on Aug. 9, 2000, entitled SubscriberIdentification Based on Electronic Program Guide Data; 09/635,542 (nowabandoned), filed on Aug. 10, 2000, entitled Grouping Subscribers BasedDemographic Data; 09/742,506 (now abandoned), filed on Dec. 21, 2000,entitled Internet-Based Electronic Program Guide Advertisement InsertionMethod and Apparatus; and 09/658,204 (now abandoned), filed on Sep. 8,2000, entitled Targeted Advertising Through Electronic Program Guide.

This application is also related to the following U.S. ProvisionalApplication Nos. 60/183,411 filed on Feb. 18, 2000, entitled AdManagement System; 60/196,375 filed on Apr. 12, 2000, entitled AdMatching Service; 60/229,156 filed on Aug. 31, 2000, entitled Method andSystem for Addressable and Program Independent Advertising.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Television (TV) advertising is a major component in assistingmanufacturers, distributors, vendors, and other organizations interestedin publicizing their product, brand, service, or viewpoint, in reachingsegments of the public. Moreover, TV advertising during TV programs(programming ads) subsidizes the cost of a large part of TV programmingdelivered to consumers. Advertisers commonly wish to deliver (target)certain programming ads to one or more groups of subscribers, suchgroups having particular demographic characteristics, such as income,age, gender, etc. These advertisers typically have access to market anddemographic studies that allow them limited control over deliveringtheir ads to specific groups of subscribers. One such method is “linkedsponsorship”, well known and used in the advertising industry. Linkedsponsorship involves determining what demographic group or groups watchparticular programming (e.g., from Nielsen data), and then buying (orcontracting for) commercial spots during those programs for which thedemographic viewership matches the desires of the advertiser.Improvements over the linked sponsorship model have been developed whichallow advertisers to target their ads to the appropriate viewers orgroups of viewers more efficiently. Such systems are disclosed inapplicants co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/591,577 filed on Jun.9, 2000 entitled “Privacy-Protected Advertising System”, 09/268,579filed on Mar. 12, 1999 entitled “Consumer Profiling System”, 09/268,526filed on Mar. 12, 1999 entitled “Advertising Selection System SupportingDiscretionary Target Market Characteristics”, and 09/553,637 filed onApr. 20, 2000 entitled “Advertising Management System for Digital VideoStreams”. All of these applications are hereby incorporated by referenceherein. These systems provide, inter alia, for the collection andprocessing of consumer and subscriber data in order to develop a profilefor a subscriber or group of subscribers. These profiles, along with adcharacterizations and other advertiser requirements, are used to matchand deliver “targeted” ads to subscribers such that subscribers receiveads more appropriate for them (i.e., of more interest and hence moreeffective). Delivery of the targeted ads to appropriatesubscribers/viewers can be accomplished in a variety of ways, asdescribed in the aforementioned applications, including both upstream adinsertion (e.g., at a cable head-end or telco central office) and localad insertion (e.g., ad storage and insertion at a subscriber's set-topbox (STB)). These targeted advertising systems provide advertisers withthe means to target and reach subscribers of interest to them moreeffectively. In the advertising systems mentioned above, delivery to thesubscriber of targeted or program independent advertising isaccomplished while the subscriber is viewing a particular program.Targeted ads can be delivered with particular programming or they can beinserted at the STB and presented to the subscriber independent of theprogramming being viewed. When used herein, the terms “programming ads”and “telecast ads” refer to conventional television advertisements(i.e., video ads played during conventional programming such as a 30second spot for a FORD Explorer™ played during a commercial “break” inprime time programming).

Another means and medium for delivering advertisements to TV viewers isvia Electronic Program Guides (EPG) or Interactive Program Guides (IPG).EPGs and IPGs are well known in the art as interactive tools thatprovide television programming information to viewers. Typically, an IPG(or EPG) display includes a menu of programs and allows the viewer toselect desired broadcast channels. Normally, the selection isaccomplished by the viewer's highlighting of the desired option with aremote control device. The IPG (or EPG) is typically implemented insoftware which runs on a STB connected between a TV and a cable systemhome entry line. When scrolling to a new column or row, the IPG insertsthe appropriate programming information into each new row or column.This information is either cached at the STB, or requested from thecable system's head-end. Examples of such EPG interfaces are disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,268 by Young, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,768by Lemmons, et al.

IPGs may also contain advertising, and typically do so by using space inone portion of the screen to display a static advertisement. Theseadvertisements are generally pre-programmed and the same advertisementsare displayed to all the subscribers (viewers). Displayingadvertisements in the IPG is disclosed in International PublicationWO9827723A1 by Yuen, et al. Often, the vast majority of the viewers ofthe advertisement deems the advertisement irrelevant and ignore it.Methods and systems for delivering more suitable and targeted ads in theIPG, based on subscriber/viewer profiles and/or demographics and thelike have been described in detail in Applicant's co-pending U.S.application Ser. No. 09/658,204 filed on Sep. 8, 2000 and U.S.Provisional application No. 60/238,056 filed on Oct. 5, 2000, and havealso recently been mentioned by Yuen, et al. in InternationalPublication WO049801A1.

Although these systems do provide for delivering targeted ads to viewersvia the IPG, the IPG ads remain independent of conventional programmingads and are not linked to the programming ads in any way. This lack oflinking or correlation between IPG ads and programming ads ignore thevast potential of increasing advertisement effectiveness by linkingthese two forms of ads, and thereby providing customized and enhanced adopportunities for the advertiser to reach the subscriber without“saturating” the viewer with the same programming ad and causing theviewer to “tune out” the repeated ad.

For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a method and system bywhich advertisements presented or displayed in the IPG are linked orcorrelated with conventional programming ads such that ad effectivenessand advertiser reach are enhanced and whereby advertisers have a greatervariety of ways to customize their ad and ad campaigns presented to thesubscriber/viewer in both programming and IPG contexts, and whichprovides for a means for viewer interaction and feedback regarding theads. Moreover, there is a specific need for linking and correlatingtargeted advertising in the IPG with targeted advertising duringprogramming.

For example, an ad in the IPG, when seen by the viewer, followed by asimilar or related ad played during programming watched by the viewermay enhance the attentiveness of the viewer during the programming ad aswell as increase the viewer's pretension (i.e., memory) of the adwithout causing the viewer to tune-out the ad. An ad in the IPG which iscorrelated with and which follows a programming ad may afford the viewera means to interact with or request more information about theadvertised product or service.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a method and system whereby conventionaltelevision advertisements (i.e., those delivered to viewers while theywatch television programming) can be delivered in conjunction with andcorrelated with advertisements that are presented to viewers in anInteractive Program Guide (IPG) or Electronic Program Guide (EPG).Moreover, the invention described herein provides for delivering highlytargeted ads to viewers in both conventional programming avails and inthe IPG, and for linking the targeted ads in these two medias to providefor enhanced and highly effective advertising campaigns. According toone aspect of the invention, both programming ads and IPG ads, targetedto specific subscribers or groups of subscribers, are temporally linkedand scheduled to be presented to the appropriate target group in avariety of sequences that may enhance the effectiveness of anadvertising campaign by providing the subscriber with greater exposureto an advertised product while avoiding saturation by foregoing annoyingrepetitions of programming ads, and by providing mechanisms for theviewer to access or request more information, via the IPG, about aproduct or service advertised. Such linking and scheduling of correlatedprogramming ads and IPG ads can be accomplished in conventional systemsthat provide for programming ad substitution upstream from thesubscriber (e.g., at the head-end) as well as in systems that insert adslocally (e.g., at the subscriber's set-top box (STB).

In one embodiment, there is an IPG advertisement management system (AMS)which is separate from but interfaces with a programming AMS. In anotherembodiment, the IPG AMS and programming AMS are integrated as onesystem.

In one embodiment one or more specific and targeted IPG ads aredisplayed in the IPG prior to the displaying of one or more specifictargeted and related programming ad.

In another embodiment one or more specific and targeted IPG ads aredisplayed in the IPG subsequent to the displaying of one or morespecific targeted and related programming ad.

In yet another embodiment one or more specific and targeted IPG ads aredisplayed in the IPG prior to and subsequent to the displaying of one ormore specific targeted and related programming ad.

In one embodiment an IPG ad can be clicked on and this behavior by theviewer can be used to profile the viewer or to prioritize subsequentdisplaying of programming or IPG ads.

In another embodiment, an ad displayed in the IPG is an interactive ad,and can be accessed (e.g., clicked on) by the viewer for variouspurposes including, but not limited to, bookmarking the ad for laterreview, accessing a particular website via the Internet, requesting moreinformation, requesting playing of a linked or correlated programmingad, for recording and measuring viewer interest in the advertisedproduct or service, etc.

These and other features and objects of the present invention will bemore fully understood from the following detailed description of thepreferred embodiments, which should be read in light of the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part ofthe specification, illustrate the embodiments of the present inventionand, together with the description serve to explain the principles ofthe invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a variety of network architectures on which bothtargeted programming ads and targeted IPG ads can be delivered tosubscribers/viewers;

FIG. 2 illustrates an overall process by which an enhanced form oftargeted advertising, linking the display of programming ads andcorrelated IPG ads, may be accomplished according to one embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a programming ad queue and a linked IPG ad queue, accordingto one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a process flow chart of how correlated or linkedprogramming ads and IPG ads are presented to the viewer in a temporallylinked sequence, according to one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 depicts a hypothetical sequence of programming and IPG ads, asseen by one or more viewers, according to one embodiment of theinvention. The following detailed description will be better understoodwhen read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which there isshown one or more of the multiple embodiments of the present disclosure.It should be understood, however, that the various embodiments of thepresent disclosure are not limited to the precise arrangements andinstrumentalities shown in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in thedrawings, specific terminology will be used for the sake of clarity.However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specificterms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific termincludes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner toaccomplish a similar purpose.

When used herein the term “IPG” is meant to include and encompass allforms of electronic and interactive program guides as well as all typesof content portals, which can be accessed and viewed by asubscriber/viewer (e.g., via a remote control), such content portalsbeing used by the subscriber to navigate to the appropriate or desiredcontent (e.g., TV programming, Internet, program guides, etc.).Furthermore, as will be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art,interactive program guide (IPG) advertisements (ads) can be in anyformat compatible with the IPG itself. These forms include, but are notlimited to, conventional panel ads, static and non-static, HTML and XMLbased ads including dynamic applets, video and/or audio clips, streamingmedia, banner ads, etc.

FIG. 1 illustrates network architectures on which both targetedprogramming ads and targeted IPG ads can be delivered tosubscribers-viewers over a variety of network architectures, includingSwitched Digital Video (SDV) networks (110), hybrid fiber coax (HFC)cable networks (120), and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) systems(130). An Ad Management System (AMS) responsible for, inter alia,subscriber and ad characterization and grouping (e.g., matching ads tosubscribers) and ad traffic and billing may reside at the head-end (HE)or central office (CO) as shown (140), or may be a distributed systemwith elements residing upstream from the HE/CO as well as downstream ata set-top-box (STB). In a preferred embodiment there is a singleintegrated AMS which manages both the programming ads and the IPG ads.Alternatively, a programming ad AMS and an IPG AMS may existindependently for managing programming ads and IPG ads respectively.Such AMS and IPG AMS systems are described in detail in Applicant'sco-pending U.S. application Ser. Nos. 60/183,411 filed on Feb. 18, 2000and 60/238,056 filed on Oct. 5, 2000 entitled “Method and System forAddressable Advertising in the Electronic Program Guide”, both of whichare herein incorporated by reference.

In the case that the programming AMS and the IPG AMS are separate, anappropriate interface between the two systems would be established toallow for establishing linkages between the two types of ads and forcorrelating their respective schedules (vide infra). Targeted ads, bothprogramming ads and IPG ads, can be delivered and presented to theviewer by ad substitution and insertion upstream (i.e., at the HE/CO) orby local ad insertion at the STB as described herein. Moreover, targetedprogramming ads may be inserted upstream whereas targeted IPG ads areinserted at the STB (or vice versa). In any case, specific programmingads and IPG ads may be linked such that they are displayed in anappropriate, temporally linked, sequence (e.g., the schedule and displayof mutually linked programming and IPG ads are interdependent such thatan IPG ad immediately precedes and/or follows a programming ad to whichit is linked).

FIG. 2 illustrates an overall process by which an enhanced form oftargeted advertising, linking the display of programming ads andcorrelated IPG ads, may be accomplished according to one embodiment ofthe present invention. Subscribers are characterized (210) andsubscriber groups are formed (220) based on specific market segmentationcriteria (e.g., entered by the advertiser or media buyer). Programmingads and IPG ads are also characterized (230) and linkages areestablished between specific programming ads and related IPG ads to formprogramming-IPG ad combinations (240). Such combinations may be one toone, one to many, etc. For instance, for a given programming ad theremay be several IPG ads which are related to the programming ad and thusmay be each be linked to the programming. Alternatively, there may be asingle IPG ad which can be related to multiple programming ads.

FIG. 3 shows a group of programming ads 310 and a group of IPG ads 320and the linkages 330 between them according to one embodiment of theinvention. In this example, the linkages are one-to-one and therespective groups of ads are represented as ad queues, but it is to beunderstood that the number of linkages between particular programmingads and particular IPG ads, and the criteria for establishing suchlinkages, may be widely variable and dynamic and may depend on numerousfactors including, but not limited to, advertiser preferences, adformats, and scheduling constraints (see examples discussed below).

Referring back to FIG. 2, the IPG-programming ad combinations arecorrelated with the subscriber groups (250) (i.e., particularIPG-programming ad combinations are matched to particular subscribergroups). It should be noted that although the IPG-programming adcombinations are formed initially, and then those combinations arecorrelated to subscriber groups, as described above, the individualprogramming ads and IPG ads could be correlated to subscriber groupsbefore forming the IPG-programming ad combinations. The combinationswould then be formed after both types of ads have been independentlycorrelated to the subscriber groups. IPG-programming ad combinations,which have been matched to particular subscriber groups, are thendelivered and presented to these groups (260). The mechanisms for addelivery and presentation include, but are not limited to, upstream adsubstitution resulting in multiple presentation streams and/or adinsertion at the STB. These mechanisms as well as the method of matchingads to subscribers are discussed in detail in co-pending Provisionalapplication Nos. 60/229,156 filed on Aug. 31, 2000 and 60/238,056 filedon Oct. 5, 2000.

The linkage or correlation between programming ads and IPG ads could bevery “tight” in the sense that the same product or service is advertisedin both the programming and in the IPG, or could be relatively “loose”in that, for example, only ads for the same brand of product or categoryof product are linked between programming and the IPG. An example of atight linkage would be a programming ad for a FORD Explorer™ to befollowed, by an ad in the IPG, of a FORD Explorer™. An example of aloose linkage is that of a programming ad for a particular Kraft™ cheeseproduct followed by an IPG ad for Kraft in general, or a programming adfor Diet Coke™ followed by a panel ad for Coca Cola™ in the IPG.Moreover, advertisers could “partner” to deliver effective correlatedads. For instance, a programming ad for Budweiser™ could be followed (orpreceded) by an ad for Hanover™ pretzels in the IPG, or an ad for“travel to the Bahamas” could be followed by an IPG ad for a particularhotel, airline, travel agent, etc. As will be evident to those skilledin the art, a wide variety of programming and IPG ad combinations andcampaigns are possible ranging from extremely tight correlations toextremely loose correlations. The degree of correlations between theprogramming and IPG ads can be chosen or set depending on a multitude offactors, including pricing and timing, and by a variety of participantsincluding the advertiser, the ad management system (AMS), thesubscriber, etc.

Ad Storage and Insertion at the STB-PVR

In a preferred embodiment, all of the ads are stored locally at the STB(or other PVR device). In this scenario it is possible to correlate theschedule and the display of specific IPG ads to the display of specificprogramming ads in real-time and near-real time. As described in detailin the above mentioned co-pending applications, both programming and IPGad queues can be created at the STB creating “virtual roadblocks” forboth types of ads. What this means is that, in one embodiment, no matterwhat channel is being watched (i.e., program is being viewed), when anavail arrives in the programming, the next programming ad in theprioritized ad queue is inserted and displayed to the viewer. Similarly,with the IPG ad queue, ads to be displayed next in the IPG can beordered and prioritized according to a number of parameters. Oneparameter for ordering each queue is to establish a priority linkagebetween the two types of ads (programming and IPG) such that if, forexample, a particular IPG ad is displayed, one or more particularprogramming ads will be displayed soon or immediately thereafter in theprogramming avails. Conversely, if a particular programming ad isdisplayed, one or more particular IPG ads would be subsequentlydisplayed when the IPG is invoked.

To illustrate one embodiment of the invention reference is made to FIG.3 which shows a programming ad queue (310), comprising a number ofdifferent programming ads stored and prioritized for scheduling at theSTB, and an IPG ad queue (320) comprising a number of different IPG ads(or IPG screens with different ads) to be displayed, according to someschedule, in the IPG when the IPG is invoked. As shown in the FIG. 3,there exist correlations or linkages (330), between the programming adsand the IPG ads. In this example there is a one to one correspondencebetween a specific programming ad and a specific IPG ad. For instance,the programming ad for FORD Explorer is linked to the IPG ad which, inthis case, is a static image of a FORD Explorer vehicle. The programmingad for Pepsi™ is linked to an IPG ad consisting of an image of a Pepsican. Although, this example shows only a one to one correspondencebetween programming and IPG ads for specific products, it is to beunderstood, that this is not a limitation of the invention, and that oneor more of the programming ads can be linked to multiple IPG ads andvice versa. Moreover the linkages between IPG and programming ad can berelatively “tight” or “loose” depending on the application (e.g.,advertiser preference) as described above. In the example justdescribed, the linkages are tight in that both the programming ad andthe IPG ad advertise the same product. Looser linkages are alsopossible, for instance an IPG image of a FORD logo instead of theparticular Explorer model, or an image of “beer pretzels” in the IPGpreceding a programming ad for Budweiser.

In a preferred embodiment, and as described in the co-pendingapplication Ser. No. 60/229,156 filed on Aug. 31, 2000 incorporatedherein by reference, programming ads residing on the STB are prioritizedor scheduled for display, such prioritization being dynamic in that if,for example, the channel being viewed is changed or another viewer isidentified, the order of programming ads to be displayed may bereordered to achieve effective targeting. In any case, at any givenmoment, there is always a schedule or prioritized queue of programmingads ready to be inserted and displayed. Using this schedule ofprogramming ads, the IPG ad queue is generated such that thecorresponding IPG ad or ads, linked to specific programming ads, arescheduled to be displayed in the IPG just prior to or just after thespecific programming ad is displayed (i.e., if and when the IPG isinvoked). The IPG ad queue may be dynamically reordered to be consistentwith the programming ad queue.

FIG. 4 illustrates a process flow of how, according to one embodiment ofthe invention, correlated or linked programming ads and IPG ads arepresented to the viewer in a temporally linked sequence. As will beevident to those skilled in the art, the process described below is butone example of how the presentation of programming ads and IPG ads couldbe linked, there being a multitude of other ways (including variationson the described process) to implement the desired ad linkages.Initially, depending on various parameters including what channel isbeing viewed and the identity of the viewer, an ad queue or schedule ofprogramming ads is generated (410) (or is retrieved, having previouslybeen generated). Once the programming ad queue is formed, acorresponding IPG ad queue is formed (420), which prioritizes (i.e.,schedules in display sequence) IPG ads, based on their correlations (orlack thereof) with the programming ads in the programming ad queue. Forinstance, if the first three ads in the programming ad queue are forFORD, Coke, and Budweiser respectively, the initial ads in the IPG adqueue would be ads correlated to FORD, Coke, and Budweiser. There may beone or more IPG ads corresponding to a single programming ad, or thesame IPG ad may be displayed one or more times before and after theprogramming ad as desired. For example, if a FORD ad is next in theprogramming ad queue, there may be two or more IPG FORD ads scheduled,such that an IPG FORD ad is displayed both prior to and subsequent tothe programming FORD ad. Moreover, the IPG ad queue can be adjusted(vide infra) to insure that the IPG ads related or linked to theprogramming ads are displayed during IPG invocations that occur near intime to the displayed programming ad.

If an event occurs (430), such as a channel change or change inviewership (e.g., a new viewer), such that the current programming adqueue comprises ads that are not the most appropriate for the channel orviewer, then the programming ad queue can be regenerated and optimized(410) for the current program or viewer. When the programming ad queueis regenerated, the IPG ad queue is also regenerated (420) to maintainthe appropriate temporal display sequence relationship of correlatedprogramming ads and IPG ads.

In this example embodiment, if the IPG is invoked (440) before the nextprogramming avail, the appropriate (i.e., next ad in the queue) IPG adis displayed (450). After the IPG is dismissed, a check is made as towhether or not a particular IPG ad has been saturated (460) (e.g.,repeated too often). If the threshold of saturation has not been reachedthen the IPG ad queue is updated (i.e., regenerated) which, for example,may entail that the same ad that was displayed in the IPG is again putat the top of the queue so that it can precede the correlatedprogramming ad. Such a circumstance would be encountered if the vieweraccessed the IPG many times prior to the occurrence of a programmingavail. If on the other hand the same IPG ad has been repeated too oftenand has reached a saturation threshold, the IPG ad queue may notregenerated, thus insuring that the next ad in the IPG queue isdifferent from the preceding one. Alternatively, the IPG queue may beregenerated even under saturation conditions, but instead of thesaturated IPG ad being scheduled next, a related (i.e., also linked tothe programming ad) but different ad is put at the top of the queue.Such a scheme would maintain the linkage between the programming and IPGads while avoiding IPG ad saturation.

Upon dismissal of the IPG, a check is made as to whether an event hasoccurred that necessitates a more appropriate sequence of programmingads and thus a regeneration of the programming ad queue (430). Suchevents may include, but are not limited to, channel changes (i.e.,different programming) and viewership changes. If such an event hasoccurred, a new programming ad queue is generated (410) and then a newIPG ad queue is generated (420). If no such event has occurred, then theprocess continues and waits for the next IPG invocation, for displayingthe IPG ad at the top of the queue, and for the next programming avail,for displaying the programming ad at the top of the programming adqueue.

When a programming avail is encountered, the programming ad at the topof the current (i.e., most recently generated) programming ad queue isinserted and displayed in that avail (470). Then, the IPG ad queue isregenerated to take into account that the programming ad queue haschanged (i.e., incremented to the next ad in the queue). Theregeneration of the IPG ad queue can result in a change to that queueor, alternatively, no change to the queue depending on the parameters ofthe queue scheduler. Subsequent invocation of the IPG following aprogramming ad will, in a preferred embodiment, result in the display ofan IPG ad that was linked to the most recent programming ad. This is butone example of how related programming ads and IPG ads can be scheduledand rescheduled in ad queues, according to circumstantial and parametricchanges, to provide for IPG ads to be presented to the viewer bothimmediately before and/or immediately after a correlated programming ad.

FIG. 5 depicts a hypothetical example sequence of programming and IPGads, as seen by one or more viewers, according to one embodiment of theinvention. The viewer is watching NBC's Tonight Show (510), and when thecommercial break arrives (i.e., the programming avails) a targeted adfor FORD Explorer (520) is shown followed by a targeted ad for Coke™(525), after which the Tonight Show programming resumes (510). Soonthereafter the viewer invokes the IPG (530), and ads for FORD (532) andCoke (534), that are linked to the previous programming ads, aredisplayed in the IPG. The viewer then dismisses the IPG (536) andcontinues watching NBC, but soon after changes the channel (540) towatch ABC's Nightline™ (542). At this point the programming ad queue mayor may not be updated depending on various factors such as whether ornot the next ad in the queue will fit into the next upcoming avail ofthe current channel. The viewer invokes the IPG (550) and IPG ads forBudweiser (552) and Chevrolet (554) are displayed in the IPG. These adsare displayed because, in this example, they are linked to theprogramming ads that are next in the programming ad queue, namely adsfor Chevrolet and Budweiser. The IPG is dismissed (558) and the viewerresumes watching Nightline (542). When the next programming avails areencountered (560), the programming ads for Chevrolet (562) and forBudweiser (564) are displayed. Nightline (542) returns after thecommercial break, and the viewer subsequently invokes the IPG (570), inwhich a related Budweiser (572) and another, in this case, unrelated ad(574) are displayed. Soon after the viewer dismisses the IPG and returnsto programming, a change event is encountered (580) involving both achannel change (to the H&G channel) and viewership change. This eventmay signal the STB processor (or upstream processor) to re-compute oruse a different set of ad queues for inserting into upcoming programmingavails and IPG screens (e.g., consistent with a new viewer profile). Atthe next commercial break (590), targeted ads for Pampers™ (592) and forDiet Pepsi™ (594) are presented to the viewer, and soon thereafter whenthe viewer invokes the IPG, ads for Diet Pepsi (596) and for Pampers(598) are displayed in the IPG.

Although the above example illustrates the general concept and aparticular method for linking the display of related programming ads andIPG ads, it is important to note that this is only a simple example ofthe different combinations and sequences of correlated programming andIPG ads that can be displayed to one or more viewers. It should also benoted that although the IPG screens depicted in the FIG. 5 are thefamiliar grid format with panel ads, other types of IPG ads can also bedisplayed, as well as other IPG screens that provide additional orcomplementary means for displaying a wide variety of ads (e.g., the IPGinformation screen is a different format than that of the IPG guidescreen and can accommodate ads of a differing format).

In an alternate embodiment, the IPG can also be used as a virtualroadblock, insuring that, if a viewer invokes or enters the IPG during aspecific programming ad, the viewer is presented with an IPG ad that islinked to the particular programming ad. Thus, if a viewer invokes theIPG during a programming commercial break, the same (or similar)commercial or linked IPG ad can be displayed in the IPG. For instance,if a viewer is presented a programming ad for FORD Explorer andimmediately invokes the IPG, a related FORD ad (or for that matter acompetitor's ad such as a Chevrolet ad) is displayed in the IPG. The IPGad can be video, audio, a static or dynamic panel ad, or any other adformat compatible with the IPG. Moreover, with Picture-in-Picture (PIP)capability, the actual (or alternate) programming ad being displayed canbe shown in the IPG while the viewer had the IPG invoked.

Although the programming ads and the IPG ads can be managed by separatead management systems (AMS), according to one embodiment, the IPG AMSand programming AMS are integrated and the advertiser or media buyerpurchases or contracts for one or more ad campaigns comprising one ormore programming ads or one or more IPG ads. In a preferred embodiment,the contract “flight” is a sequence of correlated or linked programmingads and IPG ads. For example, Ford may wish to advertise their Explorermodel and may wish to have an IPG ad precede and or follow a programmingad for the model, in which case FORD would contract for such a flightand the integrated programming and IPG ad AMS would generate a scheduleand deliver both programming and IPG ads for display in a linkedfashion.

In one embodiment, targeting of programming ads is accomplished byforming one or more target groups comprising one or moresubscribers/viewers, and directing to those groups different targetedads via upstream ad substitution and insertion. A system for achievingsuch targeted ad delivery is described in detail in Applicant'sco-pending application Ser. No. 09/568,084 filed on May 10, 2000entitled “Advertisement Subgroups for Digital Video Streams” which isincorporated herein by reference. In this embodiment, multiplepresentation streams are formed, each corresponding to a target group,and different targeted ads are inserted into each stream's avails anddelivered to the subscribers. The ad substitution and insertion occursupstream from the subscriber's residence (e.g., cable head-end or telcocentral office (CO)), and each subscriber group receives the appropriate(i.e., different) targeted ads for a given avail.

In this embodiment, targeted IPG ads are linked to the targetedprogramming ads such that the IPG ads are displayed prior to and/orsubsequent to the display of a targeted programming ad. As described inthe above mentioned applications, the AMS will have knowledge of whichsubscribers receive which programming ads during specific programming.Also, as described in Applicant's co-pending application Ser. No.60/238,056 filed on Oct. 5, 2000 entitled “Method and System forAddressable Advertising in the Electronic Program Guide”, targetedadvertising can be delivered via an EPG/IPG AMS. In one embodiment, theIPG AMS is provided the schedule of programming ads to be delivered bythe AMS. This information includes, inter alia, subscriber groups andwhich ads are to be delivered in particular programming avails to thosegroups (the avail data include programming context and timing). Usingthis programming ad schedule the IPG AMS, utilizing the same groupinginformation can deliver targeted IPG ads in conjunction and correlatedwith the programming ads. An example method of how this is accomplishedis now described.

An ad management system (AMS) contains schedule information about whichprogramming ads are carried and displayed in the programming avails.This may include only information about the avails that are availablefor local ad substitution or, alternatively, may include all commercialspots, including “national” spots carried by the networks. The followingexample for simplicity and clarity sake, will consider only the fourmajor networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX, but it is to be understood thatthis technique could be extended to an arbitrary number of networks. Thefour national network feeds comprise programming and advertisements(both national and locally inserted ads). An AMS will have knowledge ofall avails (i.e., the timing and duration) on each network and will alsoknow which ads are carried and displayed in each of the avails. Anational advertiser may contract with the service provider to deliverIPG ads in association with that advertiser's programming ads.

In one embodiment, the advertiser would supply the service provider withthe appropriate IPG ads. These IPG ads could be downloaded to thesubscriber's STB in advance for storage or could be downloaded to thesubscriber's receiver in real-time (i.e., when the IPG is invoked). TheAMS would send the STB client IPG instructions regarding which IPGads/screens to display (or request). These instructions could be in theform of a map linking the channel being watched and the time with one ormore specific IPG ads. Because the AMS would know exactly which ads arepresented on which channels and in which avail (i.e., at which time),and because the IPG would know which channel was currently tuned to, theIPG, using the map instructions from the AMS, could determine which IPGad to be displayed.

Alternatively, in the case that the IPG is downloaded in real-time froman upstream server, the server would possess the instructional map withwhich to determine which IPG ads to download. For example, the IPG isinvoked by the viewer at 10:22 pm on a Wednesday. The IPG, using theinstructional map, determines that the last channel tuned to was NBC,and that the programming carried is “Law and Order” and that the mostrecent programming ad was for FORD and the next programming ad will befor Coke. The IPG is then displayed with a FORD and COKE panel ad forexample.

In an alternate embodiment, the network or advertiser inserts a codeinto the program or ad (e.g., via the vertical blanking interval (VBI)or as a separate MPEG-2 data service) which identifies the program, orthe ad, or the categories of each, or a specific IPG ad. Thesubscriber's receiver “decodes” and processes this code, and uses thecode to determine which IPG ad (or IPG screen) to display at the nextIPG invocation. For instance, during NBC's “Law and Order,” a nationalad for FORD is carried in the avail. In the VBI of this ad is anidentifier that can be used to select (or request) an appropriate IPG ador IPG screen. The appropriate ad may be stored at the receiver or maybe requested from an upstream server for display during a subsequent IPGdisplay. Alternatively, these ads (or programming) and their associatedidentifier data can be intercepted and processed upstream at the headend. In this case the HE would be able to determine and deliver theappropriate IPG ads or screens to the subscriber.

In another embodiment, the IPG ad itself could be carried in theprogramming ad (e.g., in the VBI or MPEG data service), in which case itwould be extracted by the receiver for subsequent display and/or couldbe displayed in the IPG immediately if the subscriber invokes the IPGwhile watching the programming ad.

In accordance with the ATSC PSIP standard, which is herein incorporatedby reference, directed channel change (DCC) commands can be sent withprogramming at appropriate times in order to “force-tune” the TV or STBto the appropriate channel. In an example embodiment, a network, CBSwill broadcast 6 digital standard definition TV programs in one 6 MHzanalog channel, each with coincident avails containing different ads fordifferent target groups. Alternatively, CBS may transmit one program inthe 6 MHz channel, but at the commercial break, transmit 6 or moredifferent targeted, yet synchronous (i.e., avail coinciding) ads in thesame channel. The customer premise equipment (CPE), either a TV or STB,will have been “programmed” by the subscriber or other agent such thatthe CPE is associated with a target group and can be identified as such.For instance, the subscriber may enter their ZIP code at CPE setup, anddemographic target groups can be formed based on ZIP code. With thisinformation, the broadcaster can send a DCC command at or prior to thecommercial break, which causes the CPE to “force-tune” to theappropriate broadcast stream (e.g., broadcast id) at the appropriatetime to receive and display the one targeted ad appropriate for thatparticular CPE. With the knowledge of which group a particular STBbelongs to (i.e., which broadcast stream within the channel the STB/TVwill be forced tuned) and knowledge of the different ads to be played onthe various streams (e.g., from the AMS), appropriate and correlated IPGads (i.e., correlated to the programming ads) can be chosen andscheduled for display in the IPG (both prior to and subsequent to theprogramming ads) such that a correlated ad campaign of ads in theprogramming and IPG can be generated as described above.

In one case, the IPG is invoked during a programming ad spot. In thiscircumstance, the ad or ads delivered in the IPG could be eitheridentical or related to the programming ad that was currently playing,or alternatively, the IPG ad could be independent or unrelated since theviewer has shown lack of interest for the programming ad.

Although the various embodiments described herein relate to theco-linking of targeted IPG ads with targeted programming ads, it is tobe understood, that the linking of IPG and programming ads could be donein the absence of targeting. That is, correlated IPG and programming adscan be linked in an ad campaign, as described above, even if neither theIPG ad or programming ad or both are targeted. For instance, anon-targeted programming ad for a FORD Explorer™ shown on NBC could befollowed by a similar FORD ad presented in the IPG. Neither of these adsis targeted (i.e., linked to a subscriber profile or demographic), themethod of advertising in this instance being the conventional “linkedsponsorship” presentation model. An important innovative feature of thepresent invention is that related programming ads and IPG ads are linkedand displayed in a sequence, relative to one another, to enhance theeffectiveness of what is being advertised, and as will be evident tothose skilled in the art, this can be accomplished in the absence of adtargeting. In this example, knowledge of which programming ad was viewedcould be extracted (or inferred or statistically predicted) from, interalia, the channel or program being watched and/or the AMS, and asubsequent IPG ad displayed (e.g., from a local IPG ad queue) which wascorrelated with the programming ad.

Moreover, and as described above, the correlation between IPG andprogramming ads could be quite “loose.” For instance an IPG ad could belinked to one or categories of programming ads (e.g., cars, appliances,travel, finance, etc.). Knowledge of such categories could be derivedfrom sources, including but not limited to, an AMS or the category ofprogramming (i.e., content) in which the ad is shown.

Although this invention has been illustrated by reference to specificembodiments, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artthat various changes and modifications may be made that clearly fallwithin the scope of the invention. The invention is intended to beprotected broadly within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1. A method of displaying content portal advertisements and programmingadvertisements in an Internet video environment, the method comprising:(a) providing a content portal to a plurality of Internet users, thecontent portal for use by a user in navigating Internet-based videoprogramming; (b) storing a content portal advertisement queue, thecontent portal advertisement queue containing an ordered list of contentportal advertisements for display on the content portal; (c) storing aplurality of programming advertisements to be displayed during theInternet-based video programming; (d) linking each programmingadvertisement with at least one content portal advertisement to form aplurality of content portal-programming advertisement combinations; (e)when the content portal is invoked immediately subsequent or concurrentto a displayed programming advertisement, displaying the content portaladvertisement that is highest in the content portal advertisement queueand which is also contained in the content portal-programmingadvertisement combination corresponding to the displayed programmingadvertisement; and (f) reordering the content portal advertisement queueby placing the displayed content portal advertisement at the bottom ofthe content portal advertisement queue.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein at least one of the content portal advertisements or at leastone of the programming advertisements is a targeted advertisement. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein user interaction with the at least onecontent portal advertisement allows a user to request additionalinformation regarding the linked programming advertisement contained inthe corresponding content portal-programming advertisement combination.4. The method of claim 3, wherein the request for additional informationcauses the user's Internet browser to be directed to a web pageassociated with the linked programming advertisement contained in thecorresponding content portal-programming advertisement combination. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein user interaction with the content portaladvertisement causes the linked programming advertisement contained inthe corresponding content portal-programming advertisement combinationto be subsequently displayed.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the atleast one content portal advertisement is displayed in the contentportal when the content portal is invoked during the presentation of oneof the programming advertisements.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein theplurality of programming advertisements are organized into a programmingadvertisement queue.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the programmingadvertisement queue is reordered based on the displaying of the at leastone content portal advertisement.
 9. A content portal advertisementsystem for displaying content portal advertisements and programmingadvertisements in an Internet video environment, the system comprising:a storage device to store a plurality of programming advertisements tobe displayed in Internet-based video programming and to store a contentportal advertisement queue containing an ordered list of content portaladvertisements; a processor configured to link each programmingadvertisement with at least one content portal advertisement to form aplurality of content portal-programming advertisement combinations; aweb server to provide a content portal to a plurality Internet users,the content portal for use by the Internet users to navigateInternet-based video programming and configured to deliverInternet-based video programming to the plurality of Internet users, theweb server further configured to deliver a content portal advertisementwhen the content portal is invoked immediately subsequent or concurrentto a displayed programming advertisement, wherein the content portaladvertisement that is delivered is the highest in the content portaladvertisement queue and that is also contained in the contentportal-programming advertisement combination corresponding to thedisplayed programming advertisement.
 10. The system of claim 9, whereinthe storage device is operable connected to the web server.
 11. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the processing module is further configuredto reorder the content portal advertisement queue by placing thedelivered content portal advertisement at the bottom of the contentportal advertisement queue after the content portal advertisement hasbeen displayed.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one of thecontent portal advertisements or at least one of the programmingadvertisements is a targeted advertisement.
 13. The system of claim 9,further comprising: an input module to receive Internet user interactiondata with the at least one content portal advertisement, allowing theInternet user to request additional information regarding the linkedprogramming advertisement contained in the corresponding contentportal-programming advertisement combination.
 14. The system of claim 9,further comprising: an input module to receive Internet user interactiondata with the at least one content portal advertisement, causing thelinked programming advertisement contained in the corresponding contentportal-programming advertisement combination to be subsequentlydisplayed to the Internet user.
 15. A non-transitory computer programproduct, comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readableprogram code embodied therein, said computer readable program codeadapted to be executed to implement a method of displaying contentportal advertisements and programming advertisements in an Internetvideo environment, said method comprising: (a) providing a contentportal to a plurality of Internet users, the content portal for use by auser in navigating Internet-based video programming; (b) storing acontent portal advertisement queue, the content portal advertisementqueue containing an ordered list of content portal advertisements fordisplay on the content portal; (c) storing a plurality of programmingadvertisements to be displayed during the Internet-based videoprogramming; (c) linking each programming advertisement with at leastone content portal advertisement to form a plurality of contentportal-programming advertisement combinations; (d) when the contentportal is invoked immediately subsequent or concurrent to a displayedprogramming advertisement, displaying the content portal advertisementthat is highest in the content portal advertisement queue and which isalso contained in the content portal-programming advertisementcombination corresponding to the displayed programming advertisement;and (e) reordering the content portal advertisement queue by placing thedisplayed content portal advertisement at the bottom of the contentportal advertisement queue.
 16. The computer program product of claim15, wherein at least one of the content portal advertisements or atleast one of the programming advertisements is a targeted advertisement.17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein user interactionwith the at least one content portal advertisement allows a user torequest additional information regarding the linked programmingadvertisement contained in the corresponding content portal-programmingadvertisement combination.
 18. The computer program product of claim 17,wherein the request for additional information causes the user'sInternet browser to be directed to a web page associated with the linkedprogramming advertisement contained in the corresponding contentportal-programming advertisement combination.
 19. The computer programproduct of claim 15, wherein user interaction with the content portaladvertisement causes the linked programming advertisement contained inthe corresponding content portal-programming advertisement combinationto be subsequently displayed.
 20. The computer program product of claim15, wherein the at least one content portal advertisement is displayedin the content portal when the content portal is invoked during thepresentation of one of the programming advertisements.